Looking for a standard format and example if possible for a 2 page business plan popular when seeking venture capital.

Here are some resources that can help you write your business plan:

- SBA Business Plan Basics http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html
- PowerHomeBiz.com Creating a Business Plan section http://www.powerhomebiz.com/startup/businessplan.htm
- Entrepreneur.com Writing a Business Plan section http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizplan/0,7253,,00.html

You may also want to review some sample business plans to see how it actually looks like:

- Bplans.com http://www.bplans.com/sp/businessplans.cfm
- MOOT Corp Business Plan competition winners
http://www.businessplans.org/businessplans.html
- VFinance – View hundreds of real business plans in pdf format. http://www.vfinance.com/home.asp?bps=1&ToolPage=bps_main.asp
- Business Owners Toolkit Sample business plans and information on how to create a plan. http://www.toolkit.cch.com/tools/buspln_m.asp
- PlanWare Planning software and information. http://www.planware.org/
- Virtual Business Plan Walk through the design of a business plan. http://www.bizplanit.com/vplan.html
-SBA Business Planning Guide http://www.sba.gov/starting_business/planning/basic.html
- Small Business Advancement Center http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/business_plan/businessPlan.pdf
- Sample Business Plan General planning guide created by the Canadian Business Service Center. http://www.cbsc.org/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=CBSC_FE/display&c=GuideFactSheet&cid
- Business Plans Index – A subject guide to sample business plans and profiles for specific business types from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. http://216.183.184.20/subject/business/bplansindex.html
-
Some recommended books are :

- Business Plans Kit for Dummies
- The Complete Book of Business Plans : Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful Business Plan
- Writing Business Plans That Get Results : A Step-By-Step Guide
- Business Plans For Dummies®
- Your First Business Plan : A Simple Question and Answer Format Designed to Help You Write Your Own Plan

Hope that the above resources help

Deciding what type of home business you want to launch is a very important issue. You will want to take into account what you love to do and what strengths you have.

You will want to do a little research before you decide on which home business you are going to focus on. For example, you need to decide on
-which demographic you wish to target,
-which product or service you wish to market,&
-which method you want to use to market it.

It may be logical to use online marketing as your tool.

You will also need to know what type of home business structure you are gong to choose. For some people, network marketing is the right choice because you gain leverage from building an organization, also known as a sales force or down line.When those below you make a sale you get a percentage of the sale.

To make this decision you will want to refer to one of the many good home business or network marketing prints or online publications that are available as this is a huge subject.

For some people retailing physical products is enough to provide an adequate income.

You will also need to decide which entity is right for your home business. Generally, you will be deciding between a sole business, partnership, s-corporation, c-corporation and limited-liability corporation. Each one of these entities has inherent strengths and weaknesses and you may want to consult with a qualified attorney/solicitor and/or accountant before making such an important decision.

Besides the product or service, choosing an entity may be the single most important decision you will have to make regarding your home business because it will largely determine the amount of taxes you have to pay, which assets you can buy with before-tax dollars, and which benefit and perks can be written off as a business expense.

Many people want to start a home business, but do not know where to begin. Often they have trouble coming up with ideas for a home business. The best home based business will take these following factors into account.
1. What skills do you have or can easily learn?
2. What do you have an interest in, and like to do?
3. Can the business be successful?
4. Where and how will you contact potential customers? 5. Do you have the necessary marketing skills?

The internet has opened up many new exciting possibilities for starting a web-based business at home.

Open up an online Store.
You can easily open an online store that has the following advantages:
-a professional appearing web site
-features thousands of items
-secure online ordering and
-charge card processing.

Buy a home business.
There are many more home businesses available to be bought than you may think. A home business owner may want to sell for a variety of reasons such as:
-they are ready to retire
-they want to move to another opportunity
-they are tired of operating a business
-they want to raise cash.

You may be able to discover a gem of a home business this way. There are many home based businesses advertised on the internet,just search in the areas of interest.

Create E-books.
E-books are sweeping the internet like mad. These are books that are distributed as computer files instead of on paper. They have many advantages such as:
-anyone can publish an e-book
-they cost next to nothing to create and sell
-they are easy to distribute over the Internet.
-they are easily stored on your computer.

One woman reports earning over four thousand dollars every month by selling e-books. If you write well, or have a friend who does, you can publish an e-book and be selling it over the Internet rather quickly.

One of the keys to success is finding a niche topic and writing a high quality book. This will help you to obtain favorable reviews and gain free “word of mouth” advertising.

There are several methods for creating e-books. First you produce the text files for the book using a word processing program. Next you import the book files into special e-book creation software. This software will automatically create the e-book. E-book software programs are available at various prices.

Start an auction site.
Everybody is familiar with the huge success of auction sites. These auction sites have made millions for their resellers. There are small auction sites that are producing a huge income for there owners as well.Here are some tips on how to get started.
-First, decide upon a theme for your auction site.
-Locate a wholesaler to supply your products.
-Number of sales required to make a profit/week.
-Do you need to ship product.
-Is wholesaler a drop shipper.
-Set-up merchant banking.

Operating an auction site is relatively easy. But it does take a lot of work to promote the site, and make it successful!

Today, the internet makes it easier than ever to start a small home business. And these small businesses have the chance to grow quickly. The real work in any home based business is in marketing and promotion. You can learn more about operating a successful web based enterprise from the Internet.

You can also gain a business education on the internet. You can do this by visiting successful business sites and observe their methods. Another way is to subscribe to a few of the businesses that provide free advertising.Advertising sites are in abundance on the internet,be it paid or free.

Good luck in your business venture,and remember there is a lot of helpful information out there,you just need to find it.

Craig Sievers
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-opportunities-articles/internet-home-business-ideas-107750.html

Real estate investing is always good and sometimes it’s red hot. When it’s hot dozens of real estate seminars begin rolling across the country and thousands of people spend thousands of dollars for investing education.

It’s startling to learn that of all those thousands of eager folks who attend these seminars only about 5% buy even one investment house. Why? The real estate gurus sell the “sizzle” and make profiting from real estate sound easy. The truth is that it’s simple, but not easy.

Here’s a quick plan that will enable anyone to begin building financial independence.

There are basically four steps to investing in single family homes:

1. Buy homes below full market value. Yes, people really do sell homes for less than the home’s full value. The key is to understand that most home owners will only consider a purchase offer that is all cash and within 5% to 10% of their asking price.

The successful investor learns to find financially distressed home owners who have no choice but to sell for less than market value. They have lost their job or been suddenly transferred; they are divorcing; they been living beyond their income; the family has been overwhelmed with medical bills and, not uncommonly these days, their money has gone to support a drug habit.

Those are examples of motivated sellers. They have to sell and they will accept something other than a conventional, all cash offer.

2. How do you find motivated sellers? You work at it! Like any business it is important to develop a little marketing plan. One that is simple, yet very effective, is the one that was proven 75 years ago by the Fuller Brush company; door to door sales.

You are selling your skill as a home buyer to people who must sell. Your are there when they need you and you have the skill to help them solve at least part of their problem. With door to door prospecting you will learn more and buy more homes quicker than any other method. However, most people just won’t walk door to door for three or four hours per week. OK, there are other ways.

You can watch public notices for the announcement of foreclosure sales. Meeting with a home owner right after they’ve received a notice that they are about to lose their home allows you to deal with a very motivated seller. Other public notices that provide buying opportunities include probate, divorce and bankruptcy. You can follow the Homes For Sale listings in your local newspaper or Internet site.

You can telephone the names found in these notices or, and this is the least time consuming, send a postcard expressing your interest in buying their property. It will produce buying opportunities, just not as many as personal contact.

3. After you’ve found a motivated seller you must understand how to frame offers that provide benefits for both you and for the home owner. A good real estate investor quickly learns that this is not a business of stealing property, but of solving problems in a way that benefits the seller.

The home owner is in a tight spot of some kind and you can save them from public embarrassment and, in most cases, give them at least a little cash to get a new start.

No investor can afford to leave cash in every deal. No one but Bill Gates has that much available money. You must use creative techniques like, leases, option and taking over mortgage payments. Little or no cash is needed for those deals. You can find plenty of reasonable priced educational material on those subjects in book stores or on EBay. The same education that seminars sell for thousands of dollars.

4. You make your profit when you buy! Never make a purchase until you’ve carefully determined exactly how you will get to your profit. If you hold it as a long term investment will the monthly rental income more than cover the monthly mortgage payment? Will you sell the deal to another investor for fast cash? Will you do some fix-up and sell the property for full value? Will you quickly trade it for a more desirable property? Have a plan before you buy.

There you have four steps that even a part-time investor can execute in three to four hours per week. What’s the missing ingredient? Your determination and perseverance. If you will unfailingly follow the plan for a few months you will be well on your way to financial independence.

Hans Hasselfors
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/4-steps-to-real-estate-investing-success-10109.html

Marketers must look to the Web for new ways of finding customers and communicating with them, rather than at them…

Continue reading…

Jon Steel shares his secrets and explains how you can create presentations and pitches that win hearts, minds, and new business….

Continue reading…

Simplify pre-trip planning for your next outdoor adventure or business trip by using MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager to transfer waypoints, routes and tracks between your Garmin GPS and PC. Simply plan your next trip on a PC, download GPS data to your Garmin unit, and go. Don’t forget to use Trip & Waypoint Manager to archive GPS data for future use. Back up waypoints, routes and tracks that you’ve saved on your Garmin GPS to your PC using the Trip & Waypoint Manager software. Trip & Waypoint Manager comes with a general worldwide database that provides basic cartography, including interstates, motorways, oceans, and various other general reference detail to help you plan your next trip. Map detail also includes political boundaries, principal cities and towns. This trip planning CD is designed for use with Garmin units that have no built-in map detail or city point database, such as the GPS 12, eTrex, eTrex Summit, Geko 201 and Geko 301. With this simple, affordable CD, you get the benefit of being able to create waypoints and routes on your PC and then download them to your unit. You can also transfer waypoints, routes and tracks from your outing back to your PC for recall at a later date. Product does not contain any detailed maps. You are not able to download additional map detail to any Garmin GPS unit using this product. This product is not compatible with iQue. PC Screen Examples: Transfer waypoints between your Garmin GPS and your PC. Transfer routes between your Garmin GPS and your PC.

Continue reading…

Stay relevant to your main web sites theme or subject matter. If for example you own a sports related web site and you add cosmetic and make up ads to it, chances are you are not going to do well. But if you put ads for health and fitness supplements on your sports oriented web site you may interest a few people into buying those products earning you a commission. Attributes that have made entrepreneurs succeed in the traditional business also apply to online business. Every successful business starts with a good plan. Online business is no exception.

programs provide the structure for a community of like businesses to support one another to thrive on one anothers success. Affiliate programs are unique, and essential in todays saturated market.

“Today is life – the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.”

How to start a call center home business

The trend nowadays is for people to work at home, even in their pajamas. Some people start work even before they have breakfast. But these are the lucky few, who were able to find their ideal home based business.

It is not easy to start a home based business but cashing in on the latest trends like medical transcription and home based call center can be financially rewarding. Majority of those who have ventured in home based call centers are working mothers who want more time at home with their children while earning their keep.

A home based business is not only practical for work at home mothers but also for those who want to earn more, those who want a more flexible schedule or want to get rid of bosses huffing at their backs every working day.

If you dream of having your own business right in the comforts of your own home then nothing suits you more than having your own home based call center business. A home based call center business requires good English-speaking skills and basic computer knowledge. Most home based call center agents have their own computer and internet connection. Most call center functions are outsourced because of the relatively cheap labor in other countries.

It is no different than being a distributor, without the need of a warehouse, or a staff, or a large wad of cash to start your business. Add the fact that you can advertise affordably and to a wide audience, it makes an excellent, low-risk venture for virtually anyone.

The internet is now full of the dot-coms and most of these promising riches within few days if not hours without much effort from you. Some of these gurus promise you that you become rich while doing nothing. Full reviews on Making Money Opportunity here. Proven Money Making Opportunity as seen on CNN Money, CBS and Forbes.

If you don’t know how to promote an affiliate program on the internet you simply will not succeed. You must have the right skills and knowledge.

Now and again though fate steps in and sends you a prospect where you have to figure out for yourself where he or she is coming from and where in fact they think they’re heading.

While calls are generally directed to clients in other countries, there should be no worry about rising telephone bills because most home based call centers equip their callers with voice over internet protocol systems which treats most long distance calls as local calls.

You have to attend trainings or formal call center lessons though before you can start on your home based call center business. There are plenty of institutions offering call center training and some even offer online call center training. You just have to invest in training yourself and you can already make money right in your home. There are plenty of opportunities for home based call centers since most developed countries are already outsourcing their call center requirements. You only need to do some research as to which companies are accepting home based call centers, apply with them and then make the necessary arrangement for your calls and payment scheme.

If you want a home based business that is financially rewarding with a meager capital then go for a home based call center business. It may seem complicated at first but you will get the hang of it in a few months of doing calls. In a home based call center business, you are paid monthly but you also get commissions for sales.

Merchants will tell you that you can make lots of money in just days, but if you don’t know how what good is it? They tell you that it is easy money and that people will flock to their products, but no one shows you how to do it! They will tell you to market to your opt-in list. How can you sell to a list that you don’t have?

These were all of the most important methods you should know in order to start making money off the internet with your home based business.

Because of this reason the return on these programs is very small. There are so many of these programs on the internet. However, one has to carefully select these programs. Some of these have done more harm than good to a lot of aspiring internet entrepreneurs.

Affilate marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money. Most affilate programs are free to join and give you the opportunity to offer great deals such as free satellite and unlimited video game rentals. Once you join affilate programs, you will need to create a webpage with your programs and participate in website promotion via search engine optimization and search engine submission.

Greg Haehl
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/how-to-start-a-call-center-home-business-131430.html